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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. W. BAILEY.

GLUT-OHING DEVICE FOR METAL SHEARS.

(N0 MOdel.)

Patented Oct. 12, 1 886.

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NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

READE XV. BAILEY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSiG-NOR TO THE ROBINSON-REA MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLUTCHING DEVICE FOR METAL-SHEARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,713, dated October 12 1886.

Application filed June 28,1886. Serial No. 206,435. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, READE XV. BAILEY, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clntching Devices for Metal-Shears; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a front view of metal-shears pro vided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a detached plan view of parts. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are front views of shears, illustrating modifications of my invention.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

In the figures on the first sheet of the drawings, a represents the moving blade of a metal-shear, and I) is the bed-knife. The blade (1 is operated by a cam on a rotary shaft, 0, which cam works iii a cam-yoke, d, and thereby imparts a vertical reciprocating mo tion to the shear. A belt-pulley, c, is journaled loosely on the shaft 0, and has affixed to it a collar, f, which forms part of a clutch, the other part, 9, of which is mounted on the shaft by a feather and keyway, (not shown,) and is thus adapted to be moved against and away from the collar f. The opposite faces of the clutch-sectionsfandg are toothed in the usual way, so that when they are brought together they will engage, and the continuously-run ning pulley will then drive the section and the shaft 0 to cause the reciprocations of the shear.

The clutch-section g is operated by a bellcrank lever, 71 h, fulcrumed at If, and pivotally attached at the end of the arm 71 by a yoke to pins on a loose collar, on the cluteh-section. A spring, 1', bears against the upper side of the arm 71, and tends to actuate the bell-crank lever so as to move the clutchsection g on the shaft 0 toward the collar f.

la is a hanger pivoted at 7V" to the shear-blade a, and having at its lower end a hook, I.:'-, which, when the hanger is allowed to depend perpendicularly, is adapted to engage the nu der side of the arm 71 of the bell-crank lever. This hanger has a hand-lever, k", by which it may be moved to engage or to release the hook 75" from the arm h. Supposing, now, the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, the parts of the clutch being separated, the shear will remain stationary. To start the shear the workman raises the handlever In, and thereby releases the hook if from the arm of the bell-crank lever. The spring 2' then acting on this lever will throw the clutch-section g forward to engage the sect-ion j, which will immediately start the machine, causing the shear-blade to descend. The workman then releases the lever k, which drops by its own gravity, and, when the shear reaches the end of its downward stroke, automatically engages the hook L with the end of the arm h. Then, as the shear-blade rises, the hanger I. will elevate the arm 71 thereby compressing the spring '5 and moving the cl ntch-scction away from its companion part until, when the blade reaches the limit of its ascent, the parts of the clutch will be separated. This at once stops the machine and brings the parts again to the position shown in Fig. 1.

The machine as thus described is old and has been in common use, and while of great utility it is subject to a disadvantage in that because the clutch is operated by the rise of the shearblade, and must come to rest simultaneously with the stoppage of the latter, the section is not always completely separated from the part f, and the rotation of the latter is therefore apt to wear or break the corners of the cluteh-teeth, so that they will not fit neatly together. This causes the parts of the clutch to jar and rattle, and materially impairs the working of the machine. I

It is the object of my invention to obviate this difficulty just noted, and I accomplish this by providing means whereby as soon as the actuating motion of the shear on the clutch. ceases an additional force, consisting either of a spring, weight, or equivalent mechanism, comes into playand further separates iheparts of the clutch.

I have shown three forms of my invention in the drawings. In that illustrated in Sheet 1 the collar 9 is mounted on a contracted portion or neck of the clutch-section 9, so as to be capable of a sliding motion thereon lengthwise of the shaft 0. A second collar, m, is fixed to the clutch a little back of the sliding collar 9 and springs n are interposed between them. The effect of this arrangement is, that when the shear-blade rises and moves thebell-crank lever the friction of the contact of the clutchsections with each other causes the first force to be exerted in moving the collar toward the collar m, and compressing the springs or without moving the clutch-scction,which commences to move only after the springs n have been sufficiently tensioned. As soon as the section 9 has been retracted far enough to separate the clutch, the friction of contact of course ceases, and the springs, then being free, react and exert their force on the collar m, and give the clutch-section a sudden additional back movement, which completely disengages the parts of the clutch, and separates them so far as to prevent the possibility of theirstriking and wearing, as above described. The operation of the remaining parts of the mechanism is the same as above explained, the blade being started by disengaging the hanger 7c,and being stopped automatically on the rise of the blade.

V The modification of my invention shown in Fig. 4 is the same in principle as the form illustrated on the first sheet of the drawings, but differs somewhat in details of construction. Here the loose collar g unlike its counterpart in Fig. 1, has no play lengthwise on the shaft, and is not provided with the springs n. The bell-crank lever h h does not connect directly with the hanger on the shear-blade, but is indirectly connected therewith by means of a lever, 12, which is pivoted at one end to the fulcrum h of the bell-crank lever, and passes through a yoke or strap, g, on the arm h, in which it has some loose vertical motion independently of and without affecting the bell-crank. The springi bears 011 the lever 19, and the end of this lever is adapted to engage the hook k of the hanger 7a. A weight, r, is

mounted on a lever-arm, 9", which projects.

from the bell-crank lever h h. Fig. at shows the parts as they are when the shear has risen and the clutch is disconnected. To start the shear the lever in is raised to disconnect the hook k from the lever p. The spring '5 then forces the lever 19 down until it engages the bottom of the yoke q, when it operates the bell-crank lever and moves the clutch, so as to start the'shear and to cause it to descend. On the rise of the shear the hook k engaging the lever 19, raises it without affecting the bell-crank lever until the lever p reaches the upper end of the yoke q, when the bellcrank lever is raised, and the clutch disconnected, as before described with reference to Fig. 1. The action of the weight 0*, which tends continually to separate the parts of the clutch, is not sufficiently strong .to overcome the frictional resistance of the'latter; but as soon as the parts of the clutch are separated and the friction ceases the weight comes into play, and suddenly moves the clutch-section g away from its companion f until the rise of the arm h brings the lower end of the yoke q into contact with the lever 11. The weight 9* therefore performs the same function as that of the spring a, and is the same in operation, in that both are devices which acquire potential energy during the loose motion of the mechanical connections of the shear and clutch,

and which react at the cessation of the friction of the clutch to operate the latter.

The modification shown in Fig. 5 is the same as that of Fig. 4, except that the weight 1 is substituted by a spring, 8, which bears upon the upper end of the yoke q and the lever 1). The first part of the rise of the lever 12 is occupied in tensioning the spring .9, and as soon as the friction of the clutch ceases'this spring reacts, and by pushing the arm h upward gives additional impetus to the clutchsection 9, so as to separate the parts of the clutch completely.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that my invention can be modified in many other ways than those which I have described without departing from its essential principles. It may also be applied to metalpunches and like machinery without essential change in the arrangement of the parts.

I claim--- 1. The combination, with the reciprocating part of a machine and a clutch connected therewith so as to be disjoined automatically by movement thereof, whereby the driving mechanism of the said reciprocating part is thrown out of gear, of mechanical devices loosely connecting the clutch with said. reciprocating part, so that part of the motion thereof shall not operate the clutch, and mechanism connected with the clutch and arranged to acquire potential energy of less force than the frictional resistance of the clutch during the loose motion of the reciprocating part, and to rea at on the clutch when the frictional resistance of the clutch is diminished, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination, with the reciprocating part of a machine and a clutch connected therewith so as to be disjoined automatically by movement thereof, whereby the driving mechanism of said reciprocating part is thrown out of gear, of a lever connecting the clutch and said reciprocating part and a spring interposed between the clutch and the lever, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The combination, with the reciprocating part of a machine and a clutch connected therewith so as to be disjoined automatically by movement thereof, whereby the driv- IOC IIC

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of June, A. D. 1886.

READE \V. BAILEY.

Witnesses:

THOMAS W. BAKEWELL, V. B. CORWIX. 

